Truly exceptional people I have known

Through the years (and through long diligent application my years have accumulated greatly) I’ve gotten to know a lot of interesting and exceptional people. Though I didn’t know it, this was inevitable given my attendance at Casper College, the University of Wyoming, and, especially, the College of Law at UW. When I went through law school I met a good portion of the future leaders of the state; I had no idea that this fellow or that with whom I played cards in the law school would become a supreme court judge or an important politician.

But what I’m going to talk about here are two people whom I knew the minute I met them were truly exceptional. One was a young man named Flynn Robinson. Flynn was from Elgin, Ill., and somehow got recruited to play basketball at Casper College – I suspect because his high school grades weren’t strong. Anyway, not long after I arrived on the Casper College campus I started hearing about Flynn, what a remarkable athlete he was. Better yet, though, I got a chance to play pick-up basketball with Flynn. “With Flynn” isn’t exactly accurate, however. If you happened to be guarding him you quickly realized that all your efforts would be futile, and soon you just watched him, like staring at a flaming comet in the sky. He just did whatever he wanted to do, soaring over all the Lilliputians who were incidentally part of the game. Flynn was only 6’1”, but was a great leaper, who seemingly could dunk the ball from almost anywhere. He was also a phenomenal long-range shooter. The University of Wyoming noted Flynn’s prowess and grabbed him up after his freshman year. He then played three years in Laramie. And, boy, did he play well: Flynn was a first-team all-conference WAC player for three years, third on Wyoming’s all-time scoring list, and he was named to UW’s All-Century team. He played pro ball for about 12 years and in 1970 was selected to play in the NBA All-Star game.

Another man whom I knew, very similar to Flynn Robinson in some ways, and starkly different in others, was Gerry Spence. Like Flynn, you just viewed Gerry in wonderment. Everything about him was fascinating and people watching him address an audience, whether a big room full of people or a six-person jury, couldn’t conceal their amazement; I think this extended to district judges as well as attorneys. Of course, Gerry Spence carried out his one-man show in very different courts than did Flynn Robinson.

The skill with which Gerry performed the arduous demands of his profession immediately drew people in and made them want to hear more. Within Wyoming, Gerry is surely better known than Flynn Robinson, although maybe my perspective on that is skewed, in that most of the people I’ve discussed Gerry with — other lawyers — were particularly fascinated by Spence. It doesn’t take long for a group of Wyoming lawyers, especially older ones, to start comparing Gerry Spence stories. Gerry was such a powerhouse in the courtroom that toward the end of his career his opponents all wanted to know if Gerry or someone else from his office was going to try a case. They believed that Gerry was one lawyer who could create something out of nothing.

I remember attending a legal education session in Jackson, sponsored by the Wyoming Trial Lawyer’s Association, I think, and Gerry gave a talk in a large classroom. The word had spread and when Mr. Spence began his talk, the usual attendance had doubled or tripled. I recall the room being full of legal secretaries and para-legals, many standing. Gerry did not disappoint. I don’t even remember what he talked about, but do recall his thunderous closing comments. The audience just sat stunned after he was done.

Not even Gerry Spence won all his cases, however. In two or three instances he had won a smashing verdict from a jury, only to have it reversed on appeal. At one point some group staged a roast of Gerry, and I remember Governor Ed Herschler, a witty friend of Gerry’s, stating that Gerry was writing a sequel to his book “Gunning for Justice.” It was to be called, “Shot Down on Appeal.”

John Davis was raised in Worland, graduating from W. H. S. in 1961. John began practicing law here in 1973 and is mostly retired. He is the author of several books, the most recent of which is The Trial of Tom Horn. John and his wife, Celia, were married in 1967, have two adult sons, and several grandchildren. Their home is known as the Worland House and is on the National Registry of Historic Places.